J.K. Rowling quickly shuts down haters of a black Hermione

On Sunday, we learned that Hermione will be played by a black woman, Noma Dumezweni, in the London stage production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child next year. Many have applauded the long-overdue arrival of a race-bent interpretation of the beloved genius witch, but, as always, haters gon' hate. And for those who can't wrap their heads around the idea of a character who's long been played by a white woman now recast as black in a sequel, J.K. Rowling is here to remind anyone who has a problem with Dumezweni joining the Harry Potter universe that Hermione Jean Granger was never explicitly written as white:

But because Hollywood has a history of defaulting to white actors when adapting novels (especially YA books) to the screen, Emma Watson has been the face of Hermione for over a decade. The Cursed Child will finally break that mold, but as even Matthew Lewis is quick to point out, it wouldn't be the first time the Harry Potter fandom has had to open its mind to change. (So don't freak out if Ron isn't a ginger this time either.)